Sydney Gregory
snm008@marietta.edu
For students at Marietta College seeking an alternative to campus dining options, it may be difficult to catch a break with prices at local grocery stores. With numerous shopping choices around town, many students wonder which places give you the most bang for your buck?
Senior Dallas Montag says that her preference for grocery shopping is Kroger.
“I shop at Kroger; that’s where I shop at at home. They have really fresh produce and I eat healthy so it’s nice to have a variety of options,” Montag states. “I have a Kroger card so I get discounts through that, as well as through fuel points.”
Belle Huffman, at Junior at Marietta College, agreed with Montag. Her grocery store of choice is also Kroger.
“I get most of my food from Kroger, but if I were to go and get shampoo, or toothpaste, or deodorant I tend to go to Walmart,” says Huffman. “Otherwise, I like Kroger because of their point system. You save a lot of money that way.”
Another store in the Marietta area that has a reputation of affordability is Aldi. Marietta resident and Alpha Xi Delta House Mother, Mary Beth Blondin, says she wishes she knew about Aldi sooner.
“Aldi has the best prices and good quality,” Blondin stated. “I wish Aldi had been here when I had my children.”
When asked whether she believes Aldi is a decent place for college students to shop, Blondin stated that it can be if students remember to think about Aldi as an affordable option.
Recently, I visited Walmart, Kroger and Aldi to see for myself which store truly has the best prices, without reward cards and coupons. I picked a traditional low-cost meal of spaghetti and garlic bread to price check. Here is a table of the prices I found:
| Kroger | Walmart | Aldi | |
| Pasta | $1.98 | $1.00 | $1.45 |
| Pasta Sauce | $2.65 | $1.50 | $1.19 |
| Garlic bread | $2.50 | $2.00 | $1.59 |
| TOTAL: | 7.13 | $4.50 | $4.23 |
Overall, the prices across the board are comparable. The true test of deals may come from memberships and reward points for other expenses. Beyond the base price of products, the best choice of where to shop in the Marietta should be a personal preference catered toward individual needs.
